Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS AAMAlMAZDA TRUCK NAT/OPAL C HAMPIONSH 250cc MX SERIES IP seco nd corner on lap three an d' bo unced to th e ou tside, allowing Pichon to move into second . "I w as riding as har d as I could , and I started fee ling like I bel on ged u p there;' Lus k exp lai ned . 'Then I h it th at bu m p an d the p ain in my arm rem ind ed me tha t I was no t read y to go tha t fast, so I backed it down some. I felt like I had the corner speed andall, but I could not risk a bad land ing or a big crash or an ything. I just backed off and let the leaders go. I' ve a lrea d y go t e noug h bumps a n d bruises right now. I kn ew I would be a little bit off the pace, but I wasn 't as far off as I thought I would be." As Lusk s lo wed down s lig h tly, Henry passed Ward and began to apply pres sure. However, it took th e points lead er almost 20 minutes to get aro und the Honda, leavi ng Emig and Pichon to sn ea k away . By th e time H enry was clear of Lusk, the two lea ders were more than 10 seconds clear and the race was almos t ove r. Up front, Emig rode a smart, co nfiden t ra ce, n e ver cra cking u n d e r the s lig h t pre s sur e a n d fa st p a ce fr o m Pi ch on . Even th ou g h h is mechanic , Tony Berlutti, urged Pich on to be more ag gress ive, wi th signa ls like "Show him a w h eel" and " Make him crack," th e Suz uki rid er never mad e contact. " He was d efinitel y riding fas t o u t th ere but I was jus t riding m y ow n Briefl r----- ---~ race," said Emig of the a ttacking Frenchman . " I felt rea lly strong all weeke nd, even d uring practice, an d I just felt like I was going to w in tod ay. I guess it all finally wo rked out." Em ig had to go an extra lap before the d ay was over. Due to the la p tim es being right around the 2:45 mark all day . long, Emig came past the scorers a t exactly 29 minutes and 59 seco nd s, so clo se t o the referee tha t he s tarted to rai se th e two-lap board as Em ig fle w overhead on the tabl etop. TI,e add ed lap did little to affect th e o u tco me of th e race. Pich on rema in ed seco nd, w h ile Henrv held third in the mo ta for second ov era ll at the finish. Lusk was a noble fourth, w hile the poor-starting Albertyn came across fifth . "That littl e run-in with Henry in th e firs t moto hu rt my shoulder enoug h to bo ther me in the second race," said the ever-optimistic Albertyn, "bu t I think a bad sta rt was m y biggest pro blem. In bot h mo tes . I ju s t did n't get a good enough start to lead . O therwise, I thi nk I would have been a ble to win her e. But I'll be fine. I'm goi ng to train har d these next tw o weeks an d I st ill believe tha t I'm going to take this championship - it has mv n ame on it!" LaRocco finis hed sixth after his third measure of bad luck - his chest protector brok e and he ha d to take it off w hile' rid ing u p a hill - s lowed hi m agai n. resent ing the Goiden State in the 250cc class at Red Bud was " Facto ry " Phil Lawren ce . who finished 14th . ••• Tearn Honda' s Ezra Lusk co ntinued his recent trend of w earing a number -1 7 jer sey during prac tice in honor of his injured tea mmate Steve La mson. who continues to sit out due to a broken collarbone. However. when Team Stiffie' s J e ff Will oh wore the number-41 je rsey this weekend in the 12Scc cla ss. it was not in deference to his teammate Shaun Perolio , Rat her . Willoh 's gear bag got lost at the airport and did not show up all weekend long. impelling him to share product with his Stiffie teammate. Ironically . W illoh finished right behind Perolio in the second mota <16th and 17th) . fJ 8 ~ 10 Windham was a d isa p po in tin g se ve nth, while an equa lly o ff-kil te r Wa rd was eighth. The n it was nearly two full mi nutes before a swa rm of privateers bat tled across the line, led by the Can ad ian Ro y , Xt rem e- bac ke d Je ff Dem ent , Te ca te /K a w a saki o f M exi co ' s Phil Lawre nce an d T eam Gre en ' s C li ff Palmer. D uring a postr ace auct ion to benefi t the American entry for the 1 998 Motocross des Nations in Foxhill. England. the AMA' s D uk e Finch co nfi rmed th at Ricky Carmichael and Doug Henry have been se lecte d fo r the te am as the 125cc and optional cl ass riders. respec tively . However. the 250cc role has no t been assigned yet. Team USA re gular J eff Emig. Honda ' s Ezra Lusk and Yamaha 's Ke vin Windham hav e all been mentioned to be in consideration . thcuqhWindham' s Yam aha te ammate J ohn D owd migh t also get the nod even though he's bee n riding the 125c c National clas s this season. Finch and team manager Ro ger DeCos ter hope to make an announcement as soon as the next race at U nadilla, A s for the auction , it raised more than $2 800 . to be split between the team and a toca l chanty, The ite m that fetched t he highest bid was J e ff Emi g ' s nu mb er -o ne jersey . w hic h fet ch ed $420 . Th e fac t tha t Ezra L usk (rightl was even at Red Bud s urprised a lo t o f peop le , Lusk br oke his arm just two Pop ular privateer B a r r y C arsten sw itc hed fro m his usual Suzuki weeks a go at the B u d d s RM 125 to an RM 250 for this we ekend 's Red Bud race . " I wa nted to Creek National when he ran switch for at least one race this year and I figured that since this track is into Doug Henry in t he fir st so loamy. it might be a good one to do it on." said Ca rsten . 31 . who hails tum of the second mot a , "It from Bayville. New J ersey. " Unadilla is really a slippery track now . so I felt like it w as broken right will probably go back to the 125 for that. " C arsten . w ho is backed by away but I got up and tried to Bromley Suzuki. MSR. Du nlop and Arai. finished a respect able 17th over keep g oing anyway ." all with 14-19 finishes. recounts Lu sk . w hose pain threshold mu st be extraordiRace winn er Jeff Emig wa s wearing the brand -new Fox helmet for the nary. " The fir st jump I landed first time at Red Bud , " It' s designed to vent bett er than most helmet s so off of. I co uld feel the bones it brea thes air over you . and obviously it worked well today." said Emig, a moving around . so I p ulled co nsummate pit chma n. " The helmet is undefeated in National competioff. " Lus k wa s operated on tion ! " Ezra Lus k is said to also be to beg in weari ng the helmet soon , the foll owi ng M onday morn ing . D oct ors reattache d the The top wi nners in the Copenhagen P r o Privateer Challenge were bone with the help of a plate T i m Ferry and Robbie · and six screws. After careful Skaggs in the 125c c class co nsideration. .Lusk dec ided a nd .Jea n -Sebastien to have his stitches remove d Roy and Josh D e m u t h in and ride Red Bud in orde r to the 250c c cla s s. Th e to p keep his titl e hope s alive . winner in each class "With the p late and all. the received $750. wh ile sec.bone is as strong as it would be if it weren 't broke. I just have to deal with ond place received $2 50. the pain. I figured if I could make it through this weekend wit hout hurting it wo rse and sco re a top -five finish . I cou ld take the next two week s to heal Ricky C a r m ic h a e l ' s before Unadilla and sti ll have a shot. " Lus k did just that . fini shi ng fift h overal l even though he never attempted LaRocco 's Leap throughout the ' KX 1 25 (right) was sporting . a Euro -style . ha lf -ven ted day. ' front number plate at Red Bu d . S ev e ral wee ks ago J er e m y McGrath continues to heal up at his home in C alifornia. The Car michael' s bike suffered ' five·time AM A Supercross Series Champion and former poi nts leader of this year's 25 0cc Outdoor Nationals saw a doct or this week who said that , a rare DNF and had s6 me although the brok en wrist is healing we ll. M cGrath must wea r his cast for' pe op le askin g if t he bik e at least anot her three weeks. A ccording to his teammate and fr iend was run ning too hot. " It 's some th ing we ar e te sti ng Jimmy Butt on. M cGrath' will ;,ot be back before the month of Augu st at the earlie st. f o r th e Mo t o cro s s d e s Nations. " said C armichael' s J eff Emi g 's driver' s license may say C alifom ia·. but everyone knows that me c han ic . Chad W at t s . the fou~-ti me AMA Nati onal C hampion was actually barn and raised in " W e .have to run ' pump gas Mi ssouri . So wi th M cG rat h and fellow Califom ians Damon Huffman. Ryan t her e . so it may he lp the Hughe s and Mi ke Craig out with the injuries. the highest ·placing rider repbike nun a little cooler. " Team Honda's Ezra Lusk surprised everybody by g rab b in g the h oleshot in th second moto and fin ish in g f ifth o v era ll (7-4), even with a freshly broken arm. 'Ther e's always that qu esti on in th, back of yo u r mind when you win am the n you don 't wi n for a whil e, wheth e you will· e ve r win a gain," theorizec Emi g la te r. "You alwa ys tell yo u rse l th at you ca n, but until you do it, yo jus t d on 't know. After this race, I thi nk have that confidence ba ck. I kn ow I ca wi n again." I. Red Bu d Track and Trail Buchanan, Michigan Resu lt s : July 5, 1998 (Round 6 o f 12) 250 MOTO 1: 1. Jdf Emig (Ka w): 2. Doug Henr (Yam); 3. GI"t. A lbcrtyn (5uz) ; -I. Mickael Pichon (SOl 'g 5. Kevin Wind ham (Ya m); 6. Larrv Ward (5u z); 7. Ezr Lus k (Han); 8. Lan ce Smail (KTM); 9. lea n-Se bastle Roy (Ka w ): 10. Mi ke Lakocco (Ho n): 11. Hea th Vo~ (H o n ) 12. JO!ih Demu th (Kaw ): 13. Takes hi Koik ed (Ya m); H . Barry Ca rs ten (Suz ): 15. jason Tho mas (Kaw 16. CliffPalmer (Kaw ): 17. Jeff Deme nt (Yam) : 18. Dave -nc Yezc k Jr. (5uz) ; 19. Matt Sh ut.' (Suz): 20. Phil L 1 W rl .. (Kaw): 21. Keit h Bowe n (Suz); 22. Brad Ha gscth (Yam 23. Mike Karin Jr. (Yam); 24 . Ta ke-hi Kolkeda (Yarn ): ") Bruce Stratton (Suz): 26. C. Brad ley Stru nk (He n): Brian Stone (Knwl: 28. Ty wallace (Yam ); 21}. Vin ccr Karnow (S uz): 30. Cha d Wollaston (Ya m ); 3 1. Kevi Crin e (K.1 w ); 32. Paul Karle (Yam ); 33. Mar tin Vaug h (He n): 34. Brad lc rorm nsk i (Ka w): 35. Todd De l-leo (Ya m); 36. Davey Yezek Jr. (Suz); 3i. Heath Voss (Hon 1 7. 38. Pedro Co nz.. 1e (K,l\\"); 39. Richard Tevlor (5u z); 4~ james Eva ns (Ka w) . . 250 MOT O 2: 1. Jeff Emig tKaw): 2. ~tiCk.1l'! Piche (Suz); 3. Do ug Henry (Yam ); 4. Ezra Lusk (Hu n]: 5. Gil' Al ber tyn (S ua): 6. Mike LaR occo (H un) ; 7. Kc vi Windham (Ya m); 8. Larry Ward (Suz): 9. [e.. -Scb asti m Roy (K aw ): 10. Jeff Dement (Yam); t L Phil Law rem ( K.1W); 12. Cl iff Palmer (Kaw ): 13. Lana ' Sm.li! (kiM 14. Josh Demuth (Ka w ): 15. Mat t Shut.' (Su:.:::); 16. jaso Th oma s (Ka w): 17. A n tho nv Amara dio (Yarn ): 1, A ntho ny Poco robba (Suz); 19: Barry Ca r..ten (5u z); 21 Jim N e es e ( Hu s ): 21. Keith Bowen (Suz ); 22 . Bra H a gseth (Ya m ); 23 . Mi ke Ka hn (Ya m ); 24. Takes! Koi kcd a (Ya m ); 25. Bruce Stratton (S uz ): 26. Brcdle S trun k (Hon ): 27. Bria n Sto ne (Kaw): 28. T v WaliaI"' (Ya m); 29. Vince nt Karno w (Suz): 30. Child 'Wo llash' (5u7o); 31. Kevin Crirw (K.1W) ; 32. Paul Kar le (Yam ); 3.: Martin Vau ghn (Hon) : 34. Bra d j erominski (Kaw j: 3 Tod d IJe.HOllP (Y.lm); 36. Davey Yezc k (Suz): 37. Heal V~S (Hen) , 31'). Pedro Conzalez (Ka w): 39. Rich Tevk (s uz); 40. [ames Evan s ( Ka w) • 250 O /A; 1. Jeff Emig (Kaw): 2. Dou g Henry (Yam 3. Mi ckael Pichon (SuZ); 4. Greg Albe rtyn (5u.l.);5. Lusk (Hen): 6. Kevin Win dham {Yarn): i . L...1TTV wa r (Suz) : 8. Mike Lak occo (He n): 9. [ean -Scba stien R{ I ( Kaw): 10. L,JlCeSmail (KT~ ); 11. Josh Demuth (Kaw 12.. Jeff Dement (Ya m ); 13. Cliff Palmer (Kaw): 14. Ph Law rence (Kaw ): 15. Iascn Thomas ( K.1W); 16. Heat Vo~s (Hon): Ii. Barry Ca rs te n (5uz); Hi. Matt Shu ISu z ): 19 . Takevhi Kotkeda (Ya m ): 20 . Antho n Ama rad io (Yam); 21. Antho ny Pocorobba Jr. (Suz): ., Davey Yezek (Suz): 23. JimNeese (Hbg ). A MA /MAZDA T RUC K N AT ION AL C'S HIP 250, M X SE R IES POI NT ST AN DINGS (A ft er 6 of 1 rounds): L Doug Ht.nry (243 /2 win s); 2. G rc~ Albe rt)" · (209); 3. Mickncl Pichon (208/1); 4. Mikl' L1Rocco 196 5. Ez ra Lusk 089 / 1); 6. Kevin Windham ( 86 ); 7. Jc 1"')' Wa rd (40); 9. Jer l' my McGral Emig 069 / 1); 8. 1... 0 21/ 1); 10. Mike· Cra ig (l 09); 11. Jean Scbol~tien Ro (90); 12 H('ath Voss (6) ; 13. LanC't' Sma il (75);14. Doll Dubach (61) ; 15 . Phill..a wr en cc (53 ); 16. Jeff Dt.'me (SO); 17. mE) Takt.'!>hi Koiked.l / Jason Th ll m.1S (47); 1 u Josh I:>t.."IJl t h (40; 20. Ant hony Ama rad io (34 ). Upcoming Rounds: Round 7 • Unadilla. New York , J uly 1g Ro und 8 " T roy . Ohio. Jul y 26

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